Liverpool sack Arne Slot two weeks after Salah's public criticism of his style

Liverpool have sacked manager Arne Slot, the club announced on Saturday, ending his tenure after two seasons that produced a Premier League title in his debut campaign but a fifth-place finish and a 24-point drop-off in 2025/26.

Fenway Sports Group confirmed the dismissal following an internal review of what they described as a “disappointing” campaign. In a lengthy statement, the club said: “We have collectively come to the conclusion that change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward. The conclusion we have come to is built on a belief that the team’s trajectory is best addressed through a change of direction. That does not diminish the work Arne has done here, or the respect we have for him.”

The decision comes just two weeks after departing club legend Mohamed Salah published a pointed message on X that has since been viewed more than 16 million times. Writing after a 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa, the 33-year-old made his feelings about Liverpool’s direction unmistakable. “I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear and back to being a team that wins trophies,” Salah wrote. “That is the football I know how to play and that is the identity that needs to be recovered and kept for good. It cannot be negotiable and everyone that joins this club should adapt to it.”

Salah’s relationship with Slot had been fractious throughout the season. The Egyptian was furious at being left on the bench regularly and went public with his frustration in an extraordinary exchange with reporters in December. The pair appeared to reconcile sufficiently for Salah to receive a warm send-off at the end of the campaign, but his post-Villa social media statement left little doubt about where he placed responsibility for the club’s decline.

Slot’s more measured, possession-based approach had been widely accepted — even celebrated — when it delivered the title in his first season after succeeding Jürgen Klopp. But with Liverpool finishing fifth and failing to mount a credible challenge in any competition in 2025/26, FSG concluded that the style was no longer fit for purpose.

Slot departs with a Premier League winners’ medal and the club’s stated gratitude, but also as the manager who oversaw one of Liverpool’s sharpest single-season reversals in the Premier League era.